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Several leading insurers are applying risk models produced by California-based company Risk Management Solutions Inc. to reduce their insurance offerings in high-risk areas. "Between hurricanes along the East and Gulf coasts and earthquakes along the West Coast, it is an open question whether the private insurance industry will continue to insure the coastline at all," says University of Pennsylvania economist Howard Kunreuther.

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Flagler County school employees are urged to use Florida Hospital Flagler's Prompt Care clinic, where their care is free, as a way to reduce health care costs long-term. Officials hope the deal with the hospital will be as successful as a clinic set up three years ago by Flagler County, which is used by about three-quarters of county employees.

Automatic sprinklers should be mandatory for group homes and nursing homes, advocates say. A fire in an Anderson, Mo., group home Monday killed 10 people and sent 18 to hospitals. The house had only smoke alarms. "You can't prevent fires from happening at all times," says Susan Feeney, a spokeswoman for the American Health Care Association, a trade group representing nursing homes. "However, having automatic sprinkler systems and other fire safety devices can save lives, which is critically important for very vulnerable patient populations, including the frail, elderly and disabled."

A plan in Boone County, Mo., would adopt uniform building regulations and prevent builders from having to switch code books depending on the location of a project. The uniform code will make building easier for contractors who work inside and outside the city limits of Columbia, the county seat.

Some states with dry climates face higher mold risk than some states on the Gulf Coast, according to a list by American Risk Management Resources. Standard property insurance generally excludes or limits mold damage. The ranking does not yet reflect claims associated with hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005.